Women Farmers Advancement Network, Kano, Nigeria

UP COMING EVENT: WOFAN and USAID to commission 144 VIP Latrine compartments and 48 boreholes in Sokoto State. The facilities will be commissioned by their Excellencies, the Executive Governor of Sokoto State and the United States Ambassador to Nigeria. - Details shortly

Women Groups Products

To provide Access to Safe Drinking Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Project
In Kano and Bauchi States of Nigeria

USAID Nigeria has just entered into WASH partnership with a local NGO, Women Farmers Advancement Network (WOFAN) to increase lower income Nigerians’ access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene education in at least 22 communities in 8 LGAs in Bauchi and Kano States.

This 18 months project will mobilize community coalitions, community water, environment and sanitation committees (“WESCOMs”), Parent Teachers Associations and LGA Water and Sanitation Committees for this activity. WOFAN will assist them build, operate and maintain a package of boreholes, hand pumps, toilet blocks, urinal blocks, hand washing stations and rain water catchment systems. In addition, WOFAN will work with these communities to implement a hygiene program using 22 newly established Environmental Health Clubs aimed at facilitating hygiene messages and healthy practices thereby reducing the incidence of open defecation and thus reducing the incidence of disease, especially among children.

Water Supply and Sanitation Services
1. Constructing and/or rehabilitating 54 improved and sustainable water supply facilities
2. Constructing and/or rehabilitating 54 blocks of latrine, urinal compartments with hand-washing facilities

Hygiene and Sanitation Behavior
1. Providing appropriate hygiene knowledge and training to 22 schools/ communities

Institutional Capacity and Investment
1. Establishing and/or strengthening 22 Water, Environment, and Sanitation Committees
2. Building and promoting successful partnerships among water sector institutions

In Kano and Bauchi States of Nigeria, WOFAN is working to improve access to water, sanitation and hygiene services. With focused efforts in three local government areas (LGAs) in Kano and four LGAs in Bauchi State, WOFAN builds upon work already being done by partner organizations and invests in new infrastructure and programs. Planned activities include the construction of latrines and toilets, the facilitation of community-led hygiene and sanitation training, and the creation of Environmental Health Clubs in targeted schools that will promote behavior change and gender equality.

Access to improved water and sanitation is a daily challenge for most Nigerians. The problem is particularly acute in the rural environment of Northern Nigeria, where only about 30 percent of the population has access to these services. This situation leads to a high prevalence of waterborne diseases, threatens the livelihoods of smallholder farmers, and contributes to low levels of school enrollment, especially among girls.

Working in full collaboration with USAID, WaterAid, the Rural Water and Sanitation Agency (RUWASA) and the local government, WOFAN is taking a comprehensive approach to improving lives by building local capacity in Kano and Bauchi States and allowing community members to take ownership of the projects.

In a previous GDA with Coca Cola, the Water and Development Alliance (WADA) partnered with WOFAN to provide boreholes and sanitation facilities in schools and local clinics in 6 LGAs, promote hygiene and sanitation practices for local communities and school children, and train farmers, particularly women, on the use of sustainable agriculture and irrigation techniques in Kano State of Nigeria

This project ran from July 2007 to November 2008. The program drilled 37 boreholes in 22 locations and constructed 126 toilet facilities. Statistics indicate that 66,000 people benefited from access to clean drinking water, 52,800 people benefited from access to clean sanitation facilities, and 400 farmers were trained in sustainable agriculture and irrigation techniques. Local school leaders have reported an increase in attendance especially by local girls.